Memories of the day President Ford visited Conroe

By Sondra Hernandez, Staff writer

Published
11:12 am CDT, Thursday, April 23, 2020

President Gerald Ford visited Conroe on April 28, 1976 as a part of his presidential campaign. He gave a speech in downtown Conroe, dedicated a plaque for the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park and visited with local Republican leaders before returning to Intercontinental Airport and moving on to Waco. The photos pictured here were taken by then County Treasurer Dorothy Buckalew and used with permission of her son Howard Buckalew.

President Gerald Ford visited Conroe on April 28, 1976 as a part of his presidential campaign. He gave a speech in downtown Conroe, dedicated a plaque for the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park and

President Gerald Ford visited Conroe on April 28, 1976 as a part of his presidential campaign. He gave a speech in downtown Conroe, dedicated a plaque for the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park and visited with local Republican leaders before returning to Intercontinental Airport and moving on to Waco. The photos pictured here were taken by then County Treasurer Dorothy Buckalew and used with permission of her son Howard Buckalew.

President Gerald Ford visited Conroe on April 28, 1976 as a part of his presidential campaign. He gave a speech in downtown Conroe, dedicated a plaque for the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park and

In the early afternoon of April 28, 1976, Conroe High School yearbook adviser David Deck bent down to his camera bag on the sidewalk in downtown Conroe.

After shooting pictures of President Gerald Ford’s speech on the downtown square, he was putting away his equipment when all of the sudden he noticed a pair of big black shoes to the right of him.

“Then I looked to the left and there was another pair,” the longtime Conroe photographer said. “I thought ‘Uh oh.’ I stood up and there were two Secret Service agents. They said the president would like you to come with him to the airport to take some more pictures.”

He was invited into the limo that drove behind the president’s car. He recalls riding down an empty freeway all the way to Intercontinental Airport.

Deck was able to speak to the president briefly and said he was a nice fellow.

He photographed Air Force One and snapped pictures of the limos being loaded into the president’s aircraft.

And that’s what Deck recalls of the day President Gerald Ford came to Conroe.

The presidency of Gerald Ford began on Aug. 9, 1974 when Ford became the President of the United States upon the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Ford came to Conroe to campaign as the Republican presidential candidate in 1976.

According to The Courier’s coverage from that day, the rain held off for most of Ford’s visit.

Ford arrived in Conroe at 11:50 a.m. with his limo being followed by a number of school bands, marching units, groups from the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

His long black limosine moved slowly while Ford and Texas’ Republican Sen. John Tower stood up in the back seat and waved to the crowd.

According to The Courier overhead, a helicopter kept check on the ceremony below, while police and Secret Service agents watched from the highest points in town.

Andy McClain, who now lives in Crockett, Texas, took part in the day as a member of the Chamber of Commerce’s Embassy Club — a volunteer group that attended grand openings for local businesses.

With a long-time interest in politics fostered by his father, Cleo McClain, Andy McClain was eager to participate in the proceedings of the day.

He arrived early in the morning to begin setting up chairs as he watched the Secret Service agents seal the street’s manhole covers and take their positions on the downtown buildings.

McClain reserved six seats on the front row to get a first-hand look at the ceremony. He was seated knee-to-knee with a Secret Service agent. “I probably irritated the agent because I was full of questions” he said.

When he arrived at the ceremony area set up on the west side of the courthouse, Montgomery County Chamber President Pat George introduced Rep. John Tower who in turn introduced the President.

McClain recalled one of the president’s introductions was by then Conroe Mayor W.T. “Bud” Hooper. When the introduction was done, the president turned to Hooper and said, “Thank you Mayor Hooter.”

“I thought I was the only one who caught it” McClain said, but it turns out he was not alone in noticing the flub.

“I don’t think he (Mayor Hooper) appreciated that,” McClain said.

Prior to his speech, President Ford unveiled a plaque commemorating the Montgomery County War Memorial Park in downtown Conroe.

Ford began his speech by calling Montgomery County the third fastest growing county in the United States.

“The purpose of my visit can be summed up in just a few words: As much as I believe in a strong and properous American automobile industry, I am here to say that this year there is absolutely no reason to trade in your Ford on a new model,” according to his speech that was printed in The Courier the next day.

Ford went on to talk about the prosperity of the nation and all the hardships it had endured and all the triumphs it had celebrated.

After the speech, Ford met with local Republican leaders at the Holiday Inn before returning to the airport and then on to Waco.

At the airport, Deck marveled as the presidential limos were loaded into Air Force One.

And then like that, his brush with the president was over and he was stuck at the airport.

Fortunately some teacher friends, including fellow CHS teacher Marshall Toppel, were already at the airport and they gave Deck a ride back to Conroe.

He found out later from his neighbors that Secret Service men had come by the neighbors homes asking about Deck prior to the ceremony in downtown Conroe.

His pictures went in the 1976 CHS yearbook to commemorate the special day for Conroe.

“It was big news back then,” Deck said. “The school was abuzz for quite awhile about it.”